Unearthing the Himalayan Permafrost Crisis
Arctic and boreal permafrost contain 1460–1600 giga tonnes of organic carbon, almost twice the carbon in the atmosphere. Preliminary analyses suggest that permafrost could produce carbon equal to about 15 per cent of today’s emissions caused by human activities.
Permafrost thaw and glacier retreat have decreased the stability of high mountain slopes with infrastructure disruption. Globally, permafrost has about 1,700 carbon pentagrams, which equals about a quarter of the total soil carbon. The soil carbon, which gets frozen and trapped in the permafrost, can be released on thawing.
It warms the local climate, impacts the overall global environment and can have disastrous effects on roads, constructions and other infrastructures. The studies on the permafrost areas in the Himalayas have yet to gain momentum. However, some areas, such as Lahaul and Spiti districts in Himachal Pradesh and Tso Kar in Ladakh, have been identified for detailed studies by Indian scientists where subsidence has been calculated in centimetres using interferometry.
The models suggest that southwest and northward monsoon rains and extreme events will likely increase in Ladakh. This will cause permanent loss to the permafrost.
Intriguing revelations from Dr. Santonu Goswami's talk: 'Permafrost Pathways in the Arctic and the Himalaya' held at SaGAA 7, 26-27 April, 2023.
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Dr Santonu Goswami Associate Professor, Azim Premji University, Bangalore
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0:00 - Intro
0:26 - Introduction to the talk
0:46 - Slide 1
2:15 - Slide 2
3:08 - Slide 3
4:18 - Slide 4
5:04 - Slide 5
5:26 - Slide 6
5:33 - Slide 7
7:03 - Slide 8
8:48 - Slide 9
9:08 - Slide 10
10:07 - Slide 11
10:22 - Slide 12
10:31 - Slide 13
10:57 - Slide 14
11:36 - Slide 15
12:20 - Outro